Hi, arrived safely in Peru 3 days ago. Had a quick stopover in Panama city on the way and were worried that we might lose our bags as a result due to the thieving tendencies of some of these countries but no problems once we arrived in Lima.

Stayed in Lima just one night and got an overnight bus to Cusco the next day as we need to be here for 3 days before we start the Inca Trail (on the 11th) so that we can acclimatise! We haven?t had any problems but you can definately feel the effects on your breathing when you start climbing up steps etc. It's really cold here at night which is making me dread the camping for 3 nights at an even higher altitude. For this reason we have both invested in some fetching woolly hats and i have also bought a hot water bottle, long woolly socks and thick gloves as i found it freezing in bed in our hostel room last night!!

Cuzco is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited and is full of narrow cobbled streets and historic sites. We spent the first day lost in the maze of streets and churches that makes up the city centre around the central plaza area. Its a strange mix of Spanish and Incan architecture and the people are a mix of traditional native Indians with their colourful clothes pulling along Llamas and modern Spaniards. Its a bit too touristy here and we are back to the Asian way of people bugging you constantly on the streets but its hardly suprising considering how poor the people are. The good thing is they stop once you say 'no gracias' here. We are enjoying being back in a country where we can afford to eat out. For about a quid fifty you get soup, a main and dessert with drink so not at all bad! So far we have sampled Alpaca, which is a small version of the Llama and tomorrow we plan to have Cuy, which is roasted Guinee Pig, the local speciality.

More importantly for Nicola, before we left LA we had the hand and footprint ceremony of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon to watch plus the Oceans 13 premiere the same day. Were quite lucky in the end (after a lot of queuing) to get seats on terraces opposite the theatre both times so got quite good close views of them all. The best was obviously Brad Pitt but it was an extra bonus that Angelina turned up with him in the night and looked stunning. An excellent day.

xxxXXXxxx